Glamping with a touch of Disney magic
The cabins at Fort Wilderness are for the most part brand new... some still even have that fresh paint smell. For larger parties (up to 6 guests), the cabins offers the best value in the Deluxe resort and Villas category, and provide enough space and amenities for everyone to be comfortable. For those less familiar with Disney's resort ranking system, Deluxe resorts come with a number of perks with the main one being Extended Evening Hours at select parks, and usually the gate to embark/disembark at the parks when using Disney transportation is in a closer spot. Those cabins, while maybe more compact than some of the suites available at the nearby Wilderness Lodge, are efficiently designed. The main bedroom can sleep up to 4 guests featuring a large bed and 2 bunk beds. The living room area has a couch which transforms into a bed (hidden in the wall) if needed. So this is an actual bed, not a sofa bed, so would offer the same comfort as any other bed in the room. The fully furnished kitchen allows family to enjoy their own cooked meals, which can lead to substantial savings, or do take-out from one of two family friendly restaurant options on-site. We found the kitchen convenient for breakfast, lunch and the occasional dinner, as it also features a charcoal BBQ outside. There is plenty of eating space inside, or at the picnic style table on the small balcony. While the bathroom is on the smaller side, there is more than enough space to move around. Like any other US-based Disney properties, it features the former H20 products. While the cabins advertise the availability of a washer and a dryer, the laundry equipment is actually outside the cabins, in a number of locations across the resort. Use of the laundry equipment is complimentary but you need to buy/provide your own detergent and dryer sheets. This resort is quite large, and car parking available at your cabin and by the main entrance. The resort transportation system will get you around the main locations in minutes, with one bus approximately every 20 minutes. The resort offers the ability to rent a golf cart to move around with ease. Availability is limited and advanced reservations usually needed. Note that if going to the parks, and not having a golf cart, you will usually need to take a resort bus from your cabin to one of two transfer point depending on the park you are going to. For Magic Kingdom, boat transportation from the transfer point is also an option. The resort features the Hoop-Dee-Doo review dining experience. While in itself this is not a reason to stay at the resort, it does add a level of convenience. If you like the family friendly, American classic food from HDD, you can find very similar family meals from Trail's End restaurant which is right next to HDD. The resort has two pools. A smaller pool closer to the main entrance and the main pool in the middle of the resort. That middle section, as well as the one where the review is located offers additional recreational options, as well as the usual on-property gift shops, which offer some resort exclusive merchandise. Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at this Disney property, especially given the price paid. While we do slightly prefer the one-bedroom suites at Wilderness Lodge, the convenience of a more compact resort with daily housekeeping comes at a fair premium, hence why we would consider the Cabins next time we are in the Orlando area. This is a resort that deserves one extra day or two of "light" park activity to truly enjoy everything that this property has to offer.
